


Curled Close

by slightlytookish



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Cuddling and Snuggling, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-14
Updated: 2010-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-07 23:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Arthur and his knights meet with bad weather on a routine patrol of Camelot's borders, Merlin has an idea that will help them all stay warm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Curled Close

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a kinkme_merlin prompt.

Leon shivered and shifted closer to the fire as another icy cold wind swept through the woods, rustling the branches overhead. They were a small party, just himself and two other knights, Eric and Gareth, accompanying the prince and his manservant for a fortnight of patrolling Camelot's northern borders.

The weather had been fine when they left the castle and had remained so for the first five days before it suddenly turned very cold and very wet. After a long day of riding in the rain they looked like a very sorry company indeed, all wet armour and drenched hair and low spirits.

Although the rain had stopped a few hours before all of them remained somewhat damp and entirely chilled to the bone. The fire did little to help, as did the wine, and Leon suspected that the others were dreading a long night of trying to sleep on the cold, muddy ground just as much as he was.

All except for Merlin, who actually laughed when he saw Arthur and the knights arranging their bedrolls in their normal way, in a wide circle around the fire with each man keeping himself far apart from the others to ensure that there would be no contact at all. "Not tonight, surely," he said, still grinning. "Why can't we just sleep together?"

Leon blinked in surprise at the suggestion and the other knights fell silent, exchanging a bewildered glance. Arthur merely laughed and said, "Don't be ridiculous, Merlin."

"But why not?" he persisted. "We're all cold and could do with the extra body heat. We did it all the time in Ealdor and it really helps."

"This isn't Ealdor," Arthur pointed out but the knights were beginning to look very interested in idea, particularly young Gareth, who had not yet been on a long campaign during the winter and was fighting to keep from shivering too noticeably from the cold.

Leon looked away from Gareth's pale face and glanced between Merlin's earnest expression and Arthur's stony one before tentatively offering a suggestion. "Sire, perhaps if we arranged our blankets in a smaller circle we might benefit from a little extra warmth."

Arthur frowned, clearly thinking this over, but Merlin didn't wait to hear his decision before he jumped in with more advice.

"A row would be better," he said. "If we just-" His voice trailed off as he went and fetched Leon's bedroll and placed it close beside his own. Then he arranged Gareth's and Eric's bedrolls on the other side of Leon's, making a neat line of blankets that looked so warm and cosy that even Gareth had forgotten to shiver.

But when Merlin went to retrieve Arthur's bedroll Arthur waved him away. "No, I wish to stay here," he said stiffly, his blanket looking very lonely all by itself on the other side of the camp.

To Leon's astonishment, Merlin actually rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll come over there," he said, reaching for his blanket.

"Stay where you are," Arthur said. "The last thing I want is to have you clinging to me like a newborn kitten all night."

"But you'll freeze," Merlin protested. "Arthur-"

But Arthur had already turned away to straighten his bedroll with an irritated tug, and if Leon and the other knights noticed that he was pouting, they wisely made no mention of it.

Merlin was far less subtle and grumbled about stubborn princes under his breath whilst he and the knights made ready for bed. But he felt surprisingly warm curled close against his side, and with Gareth on his right Leon felt more comfortable than he had since leaving Camelot and he quickly dropped off to sleep.

He woke just a short while later to Merlin shifting beside him. Still half in a doze, he watched with mild amusement as Merlin tried to untangle himself from his blanket with minimal success, and was startled into full wakefulness when one knobby knee knocked into his own.

"Sorry," Merlin whispered as he finally wrestled the blanket aside and got to his feet. "Are you all right?"

Leon nodded, tenderly rubbing his knee, and Merlin smiled in relief. "Go back to sleep," he said before he turned and crept across the camp.

There was just enough light for Leon to watch as Merlin approached Arthur. He appeared to study him for a moment before dropping down beside him and carefully curling around Arthur's back.

Arthur must have been awake, too, because he immediately huffed a sigh and sat up. "Don't be absurd, Merlin," he said, sounding very fond as he rolled them both over so that he was curled up against Merlin's back instead.

He shifted a little, moving close enough that Leon strongly suspected that Arthur was cuddling Merlin and rather enjoying it. Finally Arthur stilled and said charitably, "Well, I suppose all your ideas aren't bad."

"Mmm," Merlin hummed, sounding quite pleased with himself. "And I suppose you aren't always too stubborn for your own good."

They fell silent soon after that, and Leon smiled and closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.


End file.
